Starfish by Lisa Fipps

I know that posts about middle grade reads do not view so well on the blog but I'm sorry, this book is just too good to pass up!

I am working on some YA stuff to share soon!

I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of this book from one of the several School Library Journal events that I attend virtually.  What's even better is that this book was on my TBR list on my Goodreads!

Now it's time dive into this mini review!

Starfish by Lisa Fipps introduces the reader to 12 year old Ellie at the end of her summer vacation.  Her best (and only) friend, Viv is leaving Texas and moving to Indiana.  Ellis is dreading returning to school in September on her own because she's bullied about her weight.  

The theme of the story is Ellie's weight but you don't just see how she is bullied by her fellow classmates, you see how she is bullied by her mother and her brother about her weight as well.  That fact alone made Starfish different and standout to me - it tackles topics that are very real and uncomfortable to think about, let alone experience.

I also loved how there was involvement by the teacher/librarian and how the library provided itself to be a safe space for Ellie.  One of my favorite quotes from this book is about the teacher/librarian in the story: "It's unknown how many students' lives librarians have saved by welcoming loners at lunch".

What I absolutely loved about this book is how Ellie (with help) began to see her self-worth and begins to accept herself and love herself.  

Ellie is the inspiring hero that we all didn't know we needed. 

I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this book in a heartbeat!

Happy weekend, everyone! 

- Jillian